Pleat forming apparatus



Dec. 14, 1965 J. J. POTYE 3,223,148

PLEAT FORMING APPARATUS Filed April 8, 1965 INVENTOR JOH N J. FOTYE ATTORNEY WNW United States Patent 3,223,148 PLEAT FORMING APPARATUS John J. Potye, 1245 Marengo, Forest Park, Ill. Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,387 2 Claims. (Cl. 160-343) The present invention is directed to new and improved methods and apparatus for forming drapery pleats.

The major purpose of the present invention is to form drapery pleats in such a fashion that the need for stitching of pleats is avoided, while at the same time utilizing a system which stiffens the pleats throughout any desired length thereof so as to present a neat, upright appearance for the pleats, the system being so arranged that hangers for the drapery may be unitarily embodied with the means which form and stiffen the pleats.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the ensuing specification and claims when taken with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of fabric formed with pleats, which may be assumed to be drapery fabric;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of a stiffening and pleat forming member utilized in the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a side View of the member illustrated in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the member illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 and illustrating the operation of defining pleats in fabric through use of the member illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of a modified form of pleat forming member with fabric in place thereover so as to define a plurality of adjacent pleats.

Like elements are designated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

With more specific reference now to the drawings in the first instance to FIGURE 1, a section of drapery fabric is designated generally by the numeral 10. Drapery fabric of this type is customarily provided with pleated portions generally designated at 11 at spaced intervals along the upper margin of the fabric. Thus, a plurality of groups of pleats are usually and customarily spaced along the length of the upper margin of the fabric with a section of unpleated fabric between the groups of pleats. Pleats of this type may be defined by the several juxtaposed folds in the fabric with some means, such as stitching, for holding these folds together.

In accordance with the present invention the pleats 11 in the fabric are defined through use of a stiffening memher or support 112 which is illustrated in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4. A modified form of pleat forming member or support is illustrated in FIGURE 5. Member 12 is formed as a unitary member and may be easily manufactured from molded plastic material. This member 12 has a length or height, which is more easily seen in FIGURE 3, of several inches or more when used with conventional drapery materials. Its height corresponds to that length of material which is desired to be closely held by pleated portions. Member 12 is formed with a plurality of spaced, generally parallel slots or recesses 13 in the surface thereof which slots are spaced generally in accordance with the desired appearance of the pleated portions of the fabric. In one form of the invention, the member 12 may have a generally rectangular cross-sectional shape as is illustrated in FIGURE 2 with two slots 13a formed at inner portions of the side walls or at inner corners of the member and two slots 13!) formed in the outwardly facing surface of the member. Slots 13 are relatively narrow in dimensions and lead inwardly to enlargements 14 within the member. Enlargements 14 have a generally circular cross section.

The body of the member 12 may be solid or may be 3,223,148 Patented Dec. 14, 1965 formed with a plurality of longitudinally extending openings in the interior thereof so as to provide a lightweight construction. The material used in the member 12 should be such as to allow a slight yieldability of the walls defining the slots away from one another so as to enable reception of the folds of pleats within the slots and entry of stiffening pins or rods 15 which are seen in FIGURE 4.

The inner surface of the stiffening member may have hanger means unitarily formed therewith, the hanger means preferably taking the form of an inwardly facing relatively thin portion 16 so as to define a generally circular recess 17 or opening which may be snap fitted as over a supporting rail or the like for the drapes.

The material at the rearwardmost side of portion 16 is cut away as at 17a so as to define a passage for a supporting rod into opening 17. The material of this portion is resilient to allow expansion of the passage and such entry of the supporting rod. Preferably the portion 16 extends downwardly as at 18 from the recess 17 so as to provide an abutment surface for an abutting relation with a second rail, all as is described in my copending application Serial No. 159,702 filed in the United States Patent Ofiice on December 15, 1961, now Patent No. 3,132,687.

When using the member illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, a section of drapery fabric 10 is first placed over the outwardly facing portion of the member 12 so as to generally overlie the same as appears in FIGURE 4. The pins 15, which have a length generally corresponding to the length of the slots 13, are then brought to bear against the fabric 10 and forced toward the slots 13. This is preferably done in successive fashion with one slot being filled at a time. For example, in FIGURE 4, the slot 13a at the lower left-hand corner of the member 12 illustrated in FIGURE 4 may first be filled as by moving the pin and drapery fabric within the slot 13a until the pin 15 snaps into the enlargement 14. Another pin 15 is then brought to bear against the fabric so as to fold the fabric 10 tightly against opposed surface 19 of the member while the fabric is forced Within the next slot 13b until pin 15 is seated in the enlargement with the fabric held thereby. The other slots 13b and 13a are similarly filled in successive fashion.

In the course of forcing the material within the slots, the pins 15 may undergo more or less of a rolling movement to insure that the fabric is held tight against the opposed surface of the member as the fabric enters the slots.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a modified form of a member generally designated at 2i In FIGURE :5, for example, the fabric 21 is formed around the member 20 in a manner so as to provide only a single pair of pleated portions 22 and 23 with a single, apparent fold line 24 therebetween. Member 20 in FIGURE 5 has the characteristic outwardly open slots 25, 26 and 27 which terminate in inner enlargements 28, 29 and 30. The slots 25 and 27 may be so positioned in the member to define the point in the fabric to which the pleated portion starts, as is the case with the inner corner slots 13a in FIGURES 2 and 4. Pins 29a are employed to hold the fabric in position as well as to assist in the pleat defining process as is the case in FIGURES 2, 3 and 4.

Through use of pleat defining means as herein described, the pleated portions are maintained relatively stiff and with the pleated portions having a well defined, stiff and neat contour. When the drapery is used with hanger means associated therewith, as in illustrated in the drawings, the pleated portions tend to present a pleasing upright and neat appearance.

The pleats are easily formed without need of any stitching operation, merely by inserting the fabric within the slots of the member through use of the pins 15.

Whereas I have shown and described an operative form of the invention, it should be understood that this showing and description thereof should be taken in an illustrative or diagrammatic sense only. There are many modifications in and to the invention which will fall within the scope and sprit thereof and which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The scope of the invention should be limited only by the scope of the hereinafter appended claims.

I claim:

1. Pleat forming apparatus including an elongated support having an outward appearance coresponding generally to the appearance of drapery pleats, said support having a cross section which is essentially rectangular, said support having spaced recesses therein extending longitudinally of said support and generally parallel to one another, said recesses being of narrow width at the outer portions of said support and being enlarged at their inner extremities within said support, said recesses being spaced in accordance with the spacing of folds defining pleats in drapery fabric and positioned at opposite inner corners of said support and in the outwardly facing side of said support, and drapery fabric positioned over said support and positioned within said recesses thereby preesnting folded pleat portions for said fabric, and elongated pins positioned in said enlarged portions of said recesses and holding the fabric between said pins and the material of said support, the outer portions of said recesses having widths such that said fabric substantially fills said outer portions and thus masks said pins from view.

2. Pleat forming apparatus including an elongated support, said support having spaced recesses therein extending longitudinally of said support and generally parallel to one another, said support having an outer surface which taken with said recesses defines the overall body of a plurality of pleats, said recesses being of narrow width at the outer portions of said support and being enlarged at their inner extremities Within said support, said recesses extending from one end of the support to another and opening through the ends of said support, the cross section of said recesses being uniform throughout their lengths, said recesses being spaced in accordance with the spacing of folds defining pleats in drapery fabric with a pair of recesses opening outwardly in opposite directions and at least one recess opening in a direction generally transverse to said opposite directions, drapery fabric positioned over said support and positioned within said recesses thereby presenting folded pleat portions for said fabric, and elongated pins positioned in said enlarged portions of said recesses and holding the fabric between said pins and the material of said support, the outer portions of said recesses having widths such that said fabric substantially fills said outer portions and thus masks said pins from view, said pins pressing said fabric against the surface of said support between said recesses.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 548,901 10/ 1895 \Velch.

865,520 9/ 1907 Page. 1,362,651 12/1920 Towns. 1,863,638 6/1932 Richter -348 X 2,749,977 6/1956 Abrams 160348 2,805,007 9/ 1957 Aschbacher 223-34 3,090,533 5/1963 Claeys et al 223-35 3,114,412 12/1963 Lishman 160348 3,132,686 5/1964 Judovits 160348 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,154,749 11/1957 France. 1,221,507 1/1960 France.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. PLEAT FORMING APPARATUS INCLUDING AN ELONGATED SUPPORT HAVING AN OUTWARD APPEARANCE CORRESPONDING GENERALLY TO THE APPEARANCE OF DRAPERY PLEATS, SAID SUPPORT HAVING A CROSS SECTION WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY RECTANGULAR, SAID SUPPORT HAVING SPACED RECESSES THEREIN EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID SUPPORT AND GENERALLY PARALLEL TO ONE ANOTHER, SAID RECESSES BEING OF NARROW WIDTH AT THE OUTER PORTIONS OF SAID SUPPORT AND BEING ENLARGED AT THEIR INNER EXTREMITIES WITHIN SAID SUPPORT, SAID RECESSES BEING SPACED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SPACING OF FOLDS DEFINING PLEATS IN DRAPERY FABRIC AND POSITIONED AT OPPOSITE INNER CORNERS OF SAID SUPPORT AND IN THE OUTWARDLY FACING SIDE OF SAID SUPPORT, AND DRAPERY FABRIC POSITIONED OVER SAID SUPPORT AND POSITIONED WITHIN SAID RECESSES THEREBY PRESENTING FOLDED PLEAT PORTIONS FOR SAID FABRIC, AND ELONGATED PINS POSITIONED IN SAID ENLARGED PORTIONS OF SAID RECESSES AND HOLDING THE FABRIC BETWEEN SAID PINS AND THE MATERIAL OF SAID SUPPORT, THE OUTER PORTIONS OF SAID RECESSES HAVING WIDTHS SUCH THAT SAID FABRIC SUBSTANTIALLY FILLS SAID OUTER PORTIONS AND THUS MARKS SAID PINS FROM VIEW. 